Hunt (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 14): The Kate Redman Mysteries, #14

By Celina Grace

Detective Inspector Mark Olbeck and his partner have their day rudely interrupted when they witness a group of men attacking another in the street. Arrests are made but DI Kate Redman and the other officers of the Abbeyford police force are intrigued by their motive.

 

The dark side of vigilantism is revealed when a body is found, and the laptop of the victim reveals some true horror. But is this a simple case of a paedophile hunter's quest gone wrong? Or is there something more to this murder?

 

Who is the real victim here? Kate, already struggling with a life-changing decision, has to draw on all her experience, wisdom and courage as she and her colleagues hunt a ruthless killer…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Isaro Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Apr 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201165611

Book preview

Prologue

The children’s entertainer performing in the park wasn’t particularly good, but that didn’t seem to bother Poppy Olbeck or, indeed, her older brother Harry. They squealed with delight as he brought forth, seemingly from nowhere, a rather squashed bunch of flowers and flourished them at the small crowd of children and parents watching his display.

DCI Mark Olbeck leant across to his husband Jeff. "Does anyone actually find clowns funny?" he murmured.

Children find clowns funny. Jeff gave him a grin. Only adults find them deeply disturbing.

Olbeck chuckled. You’re not wrong. Like something out of a horror film.

"Stephen King’s IT."

Exactly. Isn’t there an actual recognised clown phobia?

Probably. Jeff looked down at their excited children and smiled. But these guys are enjoying it.

The clown finished his act to a smattering of applause and the crowd began to disperse. It had been a warm, summery morning but now the clouds were drawing in across the sky and darkening. Olbeck glanced up. Better make a move. I think it might tip it down in a minute. Jeff concurred. They gathered up the change bag, put Poppy in the pushchair (not without some protest from Poppy) and, taking Harry by the hand, began the walk home.

Let’s take Bishops Avenue, suggested Jeff. Then I can get a few bits for dinner at the corner shop.

Bishops Avenue was a wide B-road, rather bare of trees but lined each side with cars parked end to end. Abbeyford, as a medieval town, was always chronically short of street parking, hence why Jeff and Olbeck had decided to walk to the park. The houses were nondescript, fifties and sixties red brick semis mixed with the odd Victorian cottage. Most had small front gardens with low walls or fences marking their separation from the narrow pavement.

Jeff got what he needed from the shop and returned with a bulging Bag for Life. Thought I’d do us Mexican tonight.

Fantastic.

The kids always enjoy putting together the fajitas, don’t they?

They do, agreed Olbeck. They also enjoy making a huge mess at the same time. Jeff laughed. But it sounds good.

They smiled at one another and Olbeck felt a rush of joy. This is as good as it gets; family, love, relaxation…

You know, we’re very luck—Olbeck began, cut off by a shout up ahead that made him flinch. Even as he was doing so, he wondered how long, if ever, it would be before he didn’t automatically assume that it was some homophobic abuse coming their way. It didn’t happen much anymore, but it had happened enough for it to be on his mind in this situation. He knew, just as if he’d read Jeff’s mind, that his husband was thinking the same thing.

But this time, he was wrong. Up ahead, in one of the small front gardens, a small group of men were fighting. Three seemed to be attacking one other, who was fighting back with great swings of his fists and kicks with his feet.

As an experienced police officer, Olbeck didn’t hesitate. Get the kids out of sight!

Jeff was already wheeling the buggy around and taking Harry’s hand, talking all the while in a calm voice to reassure and distract the little boy. Olbeck ran towards the men, calculating as he ran whether the situation could be defused by a dressing down by himself. He didn’t think so. As he watched, a blow caught the struggling man on the jaw and he fell backwards like a toppling tree, hitting the ground hard. One of the other men went to kick him, but his companion put a hand out to stop him.

Olbeck had already called the incident in to the station by the time he approached the group. The fallen man was still out cold on the ground , and the other three just stood looking down at him without expression. Olbeck’s experienced eye tried to pick out their faces from criminals he’d encountered before but failed. The man who had stopped his companion from kicking the man when he was down was a sharp-faced redhead, his long hair tied in a messy man-bun perched on the top of his head. The other two had no particular distinguishing features; both were white, with doughy, unshaven faces, wearing jeans. All were young; late twenties, Olbeck guessed. The most arresting feature of their appearance was that they were all wearing the same t-shirt: black with a blue logo, a wolf or dog’s face with bared teeth. The words ‘Bite Back’ were printed beneath it.

The situation had calmed somewhat but Olbeck was still wary.

All right lads, what’s going on here? The expected retort came. No need for bad language.

It’s none of your business, so fuck off.

Olbeck pulled his warrant card out. I think you’ll find you’re wrong there.

He was poised for all of them (bar the bloke on the ground) to take to their heels but they just stared at him blankly. The four of them remained in an unmoving tableau, and behind him he heard the scream of sirens.

Chapter One

So what do we have this morning? Anderton leaned hopefully over Kate’s shoulder as she stood at the stove. Oh. Scrambled eggs again.

Kate threatened him with the whisk. Look, I’m in a hurry this morning, I can’t do anything elaborate. She turned back to the pan and admitted, Besides, at the moment that’s the only breakfast dish I can cook.

Anderton pecked her cheek. I’m only teasing. I’m still revelling in having my meals cooked for me for a change.

You’re still in charge of the Sunday roasts for now.

Obviously. Anderton shook out the paper and laid it on the table. Why the hurry?

I’ve got yoga before work. All part of my getting fit and healthy campaign for… Well, you know.

Operation Baby, Anderton said, grinning. I do indeed.

Kate sat down with the plates and they both tucked in, Kate rather more rapidly than Anderton. Merlin, her cat, jumped up into her lap and attempted to curl up. Not now, boy. I’m out the door in a minute. She put him back on the floor and he gave her a reproachful glance. His muzzle was turning white and she’d noticed he was moving more stiffly than usual. He’s getting old, she thought, sadly.

It was another beautiful summer day; the whole country had revelled in almost a week of unbroken sunshine, which after the cold, wet spring was just what was needed. Kate walked to the yoga studio, which was in the Old Town. One of the victims of a murder case had once worked here, which wasn’t a very ‘namaste’ thought that early in the morning, so Kate pushed it aside and concentrated on rolling out her mat and preparing for her asanas.

As always, the session was hard, but she ended it feeling satisfied that she’d completed it. The hardest part was just showing up, the instructor had said once. Wasn’t that the case for a lot of things? Kate took a very quick shower, changed and headed to work, feeling achy but energised.

So, tell me, you’ve either been to yoga or you’ve had a marathon shagging session. This was DS Chloe Wapping’s opening remark as Kate sat down opposite her. Or possibly both?

You’re just jealous. Kate said but immediately thought better of it. Chloe had been single since the death of her boyfriend a couple of years earlier. Sorry. I mean, I didn’t mean that how it came out. Damn, this was just making things worse. Erm, anyway, it was yoga.

Far too healthy for this time in the morning. To Kate’s relief, Chloe didn’t appear to have registered her first sentence. You’ll be running next, and doing wheatgrass shots.

Ugh. Not any time soon.

Why the health kick, anyway? Chloe looked across the desk to her friend and smiled, raising her eyebrows.

Kate hesitated. She’d let no one know of her and Anderton’s plans for a family, not even Olbeck. She was still coming to terms with the decision herself and it felt a bit like tempting fate. Out loud, she said Oh, no reason, really. Just getting old and don’t want to end up completely decrepit.

Fair enough.

Kate shuffled through the papers in her in-tray. Right, what have we got?

Martin’s still on that missing girl. Rav’s doing the GBH case from last week.

Kate nodded, looking down at her list of things to do. Okay, I’ll sit down with them both later. Where’s Theo?

Not in yet, I don’t think. Chloe regarded her own notes for a minute and then shook her head. Oh, sorry, no, he’s interviewing those blokes we arrested. The vigilantes.

"The what?"

Chloe shrugged. Sorry, I forgot you missed it. Three guys we nabbed beating ten shades of shit out of some guy they say was a paedophile.

"What the hell? In Abbeyford?"

Chloe quirked her mouth. Yes, it’s a bit odd, isn’t it?

Kate pondered. Well, it’s not like there aren’t child abusers everywhere—sadly. But it’s not something I’ve come across here, before.

They’re in interview room three, if you want to join in.

I think I will.

Before she knocked on the door of the interview room, Kate observed through the glass panel for a moment. The man being interviewed looked to be in his twenties, scruffy, long red hair tied back from his face. It looked naturally that colour, not dyed. Red hair was fairly unusual now, thought Kate, and she wondered why. Hadn’t someone—probably Martin, he was good with facts—once told her that the ginger-haired gene was a genetic hand-me-down from the Neanderthals?

Shaking off her irrelevant thoughts, Kate knocked on the door and popped her head around. Theo looked surprised to see her. She beckoned him outside for a moment.

What’s up, mate?

I thought I’d sit in for a bit. Kate explained her curiosity. What can you tell me about him?

He’s called Fox, Sol Fox. Solomon, I think he said. He apparently ‘leads’— Theo made rabbit ears with his fingers This group, this group called Bite Back.

And they target paedophiles?

Apparently.

Hmm. Intriguing. Is he talking?

He is, actually. Seems to think that we should be grateful to them for what they do. Theo met her gaze for a moment and they both burst out laughing. Yeah, well, that’s what he said.

Right. I’ll hop in with you. I’d like to talk to Mr Fox.

Be my guest. Theo stood back to let Kate pass through the doorway before him.

Chapter Two

The man, Solomon Fox, watched Kate as she sat down at the interview table. His solicitor sat next to him, one that Kate didn’t recognise—a middle-aged man in a cheap grey suit. Fox had an arresting face—how appropriate, Kate caught the thought with an inner grin—not good looking but memorable. His nose was large and hooked, his chin protruding, his cheekbones high and sharp. His eyes were a shade of green that was undeniably beautiful, like the fresh leaves of early spring, threaded with brown streaks.

Kate introduced herself and sat back, letting Theo pick up the interview again.

So you admit to assaulting Mr Johnson on the doorstep of his house?

I do not admit it. He had an unexpectedly nice voice, calm and deep, sounding older than he looked. Which was somewhat ironic, given that he’d been posing online as a thirteen year old girl, according to Theo. He was resisting arrest.

Kate could almost hear Theo’s internal sigh. You are not a police officer, Mr Fox.

It’s perfectly legal in this country to perform a citizen’s arrest. We have hard evidence of a crime, which, incidentally, we were going to turn over to you lot once we’d got him under control. Fox looked directly at Kate. We still will, obviously. We all want this bastard behind bars.

Kate said nothing. Theo, after a moment, went on. So, take me again through what happened, please.

It’s simple. We’re Bite Back, we’re paedophile hunters. We go online, into kids’ chatrooms, and wait for them to approach us.

You never contact them first?

Never. Fox smiled, cynically. It’s not entrapment. They contact us and we let them lead the conversation. The smile dropped from his face. It doesn’t normally take long for it to get sexual.

In a kids’ chat room?

No, not on there. They normally ask for our number and then get us onto WhatsApp or Snapchat. We try and get them onto WhatsApp so we can keep the pictures and the videos. Evidence, see? Fox looked at Kate again. You see, you guys need us. If we can do it, why can’t you?

Time, money and resources, Mr Fox, Kate said, crisply. Please, go on.

Eventually they arrange to meet us and that’s when we go get them. That sick bastard Johnson thought he was meeting a thirteen year old girl. You can hardly blame the lads for wanting to stick one on him. His solicitor opened his mouth and Fox added hastily, "Not that they did, of course. But you could have hardly blamed them."

Where is this evidence? asked Kate.

I gave it to your desk sergeant. We always video when we confront them. Also, the screen shots, stuff like that. It’s all there in the file.

Kate sat back, thinking. She was regretting jumping in on this interview, not only because of the subject matter but because she was, despite her quick rundown with Theo, flying a bit blind. Where was the so-called victim? Had anyone started investigating him? She made a mental note to have a word with Sam, the head of IT about, well, everything to do with this case.

Making up her mind, she stood up and excused herself for the benefit of the tape. I’ll debrief later, Th—DS Marsh. I have things to do.

All three men looked surprised but Theo quickly nodded and turned back to continue questioning. Kate looked once more at Solomon Fox before she left. He had a curious expression on his face that at first she couldn’t quite decipher. Arrogance? Anger? Frustration? She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She gave him a curt nod and left the room.

Sam Worthington was in a meeting when she got to the basement where IT was located. The screensaver on his computer was a still of a scene from the latest Marvel film; God knew which one, Kate thought, not being a fan of superhero movies. Once, just to tease him, she’d asked whether Batman had been in Avengers Endgame, just to see his face crumple with outrage.

Chuckling a little to herself, Kate wrote him a short note on a Post-It and stuck it to the screen, obscuring the face of Chris Hemsworth as Thor. On reflection, Kate moved it on the snarling green visage of the Hulk. You can’t cover up Hemsworth…

Returning to her desk, her previous frivolity fell away as she thought back to what Solomon Fox had said. It was a hideous thought, grown men trying to attract a child—or what they thought was a child. What the hell was wrong with people like that? Kate often felt that about people she encountered in her job, but particularly in this scenario.

Chloe was still at her desk, but on the phone. Once she ended the call, she turned to Kate with her eyebrows raised. Any good? What’s he saying?

Kate gave her a short precis of what she’d heard. Chloe looked disgusted, either because of the subject matter, the behaviour of Bite Back, or perhaps both. God, how horrific.

Tell me about it. Suddenly, Kate was curious about her friend. They’d never talked about children—or having children. Kate hadn’t told her about what had happened to her in her teens. It was odd, thinking back, because they were open and honest with each other about almost anything else. Why was that? Well, whatever the reason, this was not the time and place to begin exploring it.

Chloe was speaking. "Actually, that was the hospital,